Having recently completed our 15th project, the three-year European Collaboration on Dementia (EuroCoDe), we are now focusing primarily on three projects:

a) the “Dementia Research Observatory”. By developing a research database, we aim to increase the understanding of how research is carried out and inform about issues of participation. We will carry information on all aspects of research and clinical trials (explanations, the different types, where studies are being carried out) as well as an area dedicated to the issues surrounding participation (listing potential benefits, drawbacks and risk, the types of tests which may be used and ethical issues which arise). The observatory will also have glossary section

b) “Lawnet”. The aim of this project is to create an inventory of each European country’s laws which relate to people with dementia (for example laws on guardianship, deprivation of liberty, health care and decision making). First carried out in 2000 with 15 countries participating, Alzheimer Europe is now updating existing information, as well as including new data from other countries and this will result in a comparative project consisting of 27 European countries’ laws which will be published in the 2009 Alzheimer Europe Yearbook. We hope that the findings may be a basis for the development of guidelines on various legal issues.

c) the “Dementia Ethics Network.” In this project we hope that by identifying the ethical issues people who work in the field of dementia, as well as people who live with dementia and their carers, face, we can raise awareness of these issues and develop a platform for frank and open discussion.